Sykes wins September Scottish Building Society Player of the Month

The Scotland cap has enjoyed a strong start to the season, with three starts in the capital engine room alongside co-captain Grant Gilchrist.

The big lock has been a constant source of energy for the Edinburgh pack, relentlessly involved in the action trying to push the side in the right direction.

On picking up the award, Sykes said: “It’s great to have picked up the Player of the Month award, especially as it’s voted for by the fans. It has been a challenging month for us on the pitch, but we know what we have to do to get the results we want, and that the fans deserve.”

Head Coach Sean Everitt added: “I’m delighted for Marshall, he’s earned starts this season and has been putting in some good performances on the pitch.

He’s a hard-working a physical player, and is pretty relentless in what he does on the park, and i’m excited to see how he continues to develop in this team.”

As part of the award Sykes has been able to donate £500 – courtesy of Scottish Building Society – to a charity of their choice from our main club partner’s foundation. The lock has picked one of the various local causes the building society supports, Dr Bell’s Family Centre in Leith.

Dr Bell’s aims to be a welcoming place where families with young children can get encouragement, support and advice in a relaxed environment.  They provide universal and targeted provision – for everyone and focusing on the most disadvantaged – in order to minimise stigma.

The charity plays a significant part in creating community cohesion by bringing together people of different cultures around a shared agenda – the welfare of children.

On the donation, Marshall added: “I’m really happy that £500 is being donated to Dr Bell’s Family Centre as part of the award. It’s a charity I’ve heard about recently, but they do some amazing work for the community in Leith.”

Find out more about Dr Bell’s Family Centre